Current Research

My current research interest focuses on several questions about the conditions under which bonobos have evolved and how this development has shaped their social behaviour. What were the causes for the divergent evolution of the two Pan species, the bonobo and the chimpanzee? How different are the two sister species? Have males and females been affected differently by the divergent development and if so, what were the driving forces to induce changes in one but not the other sex? In order to tackle these questions, I am using information from wild bonobos observed at Lomako (1989-1998) and LuiKotale (since 2002). In addition, my current interest focuses on developmental processes in bonobos and chimpanzees. Integrating data on developmental changes in physiology, behavior and morphology is one way to explore the emergence of differences in social behavior that are so prominent in adult individuals.